Trump Declares Churches Are Essential

President Trump on Friday announced that new CDC guidance will classify houses of worship as “essential,” as he called on governors to allow them to open “right now.” Trump announced the policy for churches, synagogues and mosques, during a briefing at the White House.

“If they don’t do it, I will override the governors. In America, we need more prayer, not less,” he warned.

Church is Hard

Church is hard.

Church is hard for the person walking through the doors, afraid of judgement.
Church is hard for the pastor’s family, under the microscope of an entire body.
Church is hard for the prodigal soul returning home, broken and battered by the world.

Church is hard for the girl who looks like she has it all together, but doesn’t.
Church is hard for the couple who fought the entire ride to service.
Church is hard for the single mom, surrounded by couples holding hands, and seemingly perfect families.

Church is hard for the widow and widower with no invitation to lunch after service.
Church is hard for the deacon with an estranged child.
Church is hard for the person singing worship songs, overwhelmed by the weight of the lyrics.
Church is hard for the man insecure in his role as a leader.

Church is hard for the wife who longs to be led by a righteous man.
Church is hard for the nursery volunteer who desperately longs for a baby to love.
Church is hard for the single woman and single man, praying God brings them a mate.
Church is hard for the teenage girl, wearing a scarlet letter, ashamed of her mistakes.

Church is hard for the sinners.
Church is hard for me.
It’s hard because on the outside it all looks shiny and perfect. Sunday best in behavior and dress.
However, underneath those layers, you find a body of imperfect people, carnal souls, selfish motives.

But, here is the beauty of church—
Church isn’t a building, mentality, or expectation.
Church is a body.

Church is a group of sinners, saved by grace, living in fellowship as saints.
Church is a body of believers bound as brothers and sisters by an eternal love.
Church is a holy ground where sinners stand as equals before the Throne of Grace.
Church is a refuge for broken hearts and a training ground for mighty warriors.
Church is a converging of confrontation and invitation. Where sin is confronted and hearts are invited to seek restoration.

Church is a lesson in faith and trust.
Church is a bearer of burdens and a giver of hope.
Church is a family. A family coming together, setting aside differences, forgetting past mistakes, rejoicing in the smallest of victories.
Church, the body, and the circle of sinners-turned-saints by God's ultimate sacrifice, is where He resides. If we ask, He is faithful to come.
Church is not a reunion of spiritual fat cats; it's a hospital for broken people.

So even on the hard days at church—
The days when I am at odds with a friend, when I’ve fought with my spouse because we’re late once again. When I’ve walked in bearing burdens heavier than my heart can handle, yet masking the pain with a smile on my face. When I’ve been under the microscope. When I’ve longed for a baby to hold, or fought tears as lyrics were sung. When I’ve walked back in, afraid and broken, after walking away.

I remember that He has never failed to meet me there.

Sanctuary Sentinels: Churches Establish Armed Security Teams

Edmund DeMarche Published March 02, 2016

FoxNews.com

Aerial view of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. (City of Colorado Springs )

The Rev. Brady Boyd believes there is no safer place to be Sunday morning than inside his church. 
When Boyd takes to the pulpit at New Life Church, in Colorado Springs, Colo., he and the faithful are well protected. The 30-acre grounds are patrolled by uniformed police officers and an armed safety team made up of about 20 people, including Special Forces soldiers from one of four nearby military bases. One of Boyd's personal secuirty guards is a 24-year veteran Green Beret. 

“It’s not like Soviet Russia,” he said. “But you plan for the worst, and pray for the best.”

" ... you plan for the worst, and pray for the best.”
- The Rev. Brady Boyd

New Life is one of a growing number of churches around the country that embrace armed security to protect the flock as they worship. A disturbing increase in shootings inside churches, including the shooting last Sunday of a pastor in Dayton, Ohio, and the tragic killing of nine last year at a South Carolina church has prompted extreme measures.

New Life was one of the first in the nation to embrace armed security, and it has already proven provident.

Boyd was in his office at the church following Sunday services Dec. 9, 2007, when a gunman killed two people outside and then entered the building armed with an assault rifle, two handguns and up to 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

The 24-year-old killer, Matthew Murray, was about 80 feet inside the building when his rampage was brought to an end by Jeanne Assam, an armed volunteer security guard.

“I saw him coming through the doors, and I took cover, and I waited for him to get closer,” Assam said afterward. “I came out of cover, I identified myself and engaged him and took him down.”

New Life Church Pastor Brady Boyd said it is his job to protect the people who visit his church.

No one can say how many lives Assam saved, but there were several thousand people on the church's campus after Sunday's services. But Boyd estimated that over a hundred lives were saved.

Read the rest here.

The Blessing of the Pets and Animals

A number of denominations hold an annual service wherein pets and other animals are blessed by the priest/rabbi/pastor.

In my experience, it can be a lovely time as pet owners brings their beloved four-legged (and often, finned) family members to church. It helps also if the pastor is an animal lover.

It can also be ... well, less than lovely when the above conditions don't apply. I'm sure you can imagine.

And then there are the critters which don't appreciate getting sprinkled:

This happens, too. You can trust me on this.

Concealed Carry: In Church?

Carrying a Gun in Church

By Home Defense Gun 

This is a guest post by Scott Sylvester

 Shepherding the Flock  – Carrying a Gun in Church

Whether you are in law enforcement or a civilian with a concealed carry permit, you have earned the right to carry a firearm with you to most places. We all decided to carry because we want to be prepared to stop a lethal threat if it presents itself. We know from personal experience, facts, statistics and the evening news that bad things happen almost everywhere you go… but there is one place millions of Americans go every week and it is the one place gun owners usually do not carry their guns into: Church.



It is a sad state in America when we have to consider arming ourselves to go to a place of worship, but the facts remain, and despite what we wish was true, a church is a target of evil doers.

Carrying a firearm into church is certainly a controversial one. I’ve had this conversation in the past with a group of people who argue that there is no need to carry or have a gun in God’s house.

Common arguments are, “God will take care of his own,” or “Don’t you have any faith,” or “Nothing bad is going to happen here,” and “God would never approve of that.” I usually translate that into, “I’m complacent,” or realize that my fellow believer forgot even Jesus’ disciples carried swords from time to time. It is not a lack of my faith in a Higher power, it is my lack of faith in mankind. To prevent, overcome and combat sin is one of the reasons we visit church in the first place. So we already acknowledge evil exists and has to be addressed. Finally, God’s approval is His to give, and I doubt a well-meaning follower is qualified to deny it should I decide to carry a gun into church.

If you look at active shooter situations, the one thing they all have in common is a larger gathering of people that are unarmed and in a confined area. A church is no different than a shopping mall, theater or school. In fact, just outside of the main Sanctuary of most churches, Sunday school is taking place. A large gathering of undefended children usually supervised by a well-meaning person who believes several of the arguments I listed above.

Please understand that I am not trying to demean my fellow believers, but tactics, security and personal safety is not usually high on the list of parishioners in America. Churches in more volatile countries have no problem posting men with AK-47s at the door to ensure worshipers are uninterrupted as they commune with God. But if America acted more like Israel, we wouldn’t have some of the domestic security issues we have. Besides, we’ll have plenty of time to talk to our attacker about God while we wait for the ambulance and police.

Think about your local place of worship. Is there a security person on site? Does your church have an active shooter plan? Have they shared that plan with the congregation? While the adults are in the congregation, who is patrolling the perimeter of the church or is watching the doors? Who is watching over the kids tucked away by age group in Sunday school classes? Like David who watched over his sheep, you are the shepherd of the flock? Just like the mall and the theater, you are the first responder.

If you are a concealed carry or law enforcement professional… you are the Shepherd. Consider what God says about our ‘brothers.’ 1 John 4:21 tells us that, “Whomever loves God, must also love his brother. Remember in Genesis when God asked Cain where Abel was? Cain replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God asked Cain because he had an expectation that Cain was supposed to be watching out for and ‘keeping’ his brother in good welfare.

In the 23rd Psalm, God talks about being a shepherd and in verse 4 we are comforted by the rod and staff, the tools the shepherd used to guide, discipline, and defend the sheep. In Jeremiah 31:10 we are advised to gather those who are scattered and watch over the flock like a shepherd. I also like Luke 12:37 – It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watchful…” As a servant of God, we will have to give an account and we are to remain watchful over our brothers. John 15:13, one of the most popular verses for warriors tells us – “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his brothers.” Finally in Acts 20:28, “Keep watch over yourselves and all of the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own Blood.” (Also look at Titus Chapter 1:8- While it is talking about a church leader, it is a good description of what a concealed carry holder or a cop should be.)

I am not one to pass judgment on someone who has the right to carry a firearm and chooses not to. It is a personal choice and it is a choice that requires a lot of thought and soul searching. It will require additional thought and soul searching when carrying your firearm into a house of worship. Should you decide to carry, please take the extra time to make sure it is deeply concealed and you have trained to draw under these circumstances. I would never advertise that you are carrying or risk printing a gun, especially when picking your kids up from Sunday school. Ultimately, it’s your decision, I have made mine, pray about yours. Consider King David, and other warriors in the Bible. I bet they had a sword or spear in the temple. I’d be willing to bet, there are more guns in your church than you think.

I want to close by again making you think… If ne’er-do-wells decide to target your church and you stand and defend your flock like a shepherd defends his sheep, are you going to be heralded or scorned? You could save a hundred sheep from the lion, but that may not change the opinions of the sheep. Like every defensive shooting, there is an aftermath and not all of them are pleasant or well received. So consider this as well when you are deciding to carry or not to carry. Being a shepherd is a big responsibility, be ready.

Until next week, be safe, Godspeed!

Scott Sylvester is the founder of One Weapon, Any Tool. Upcoming classes are posted on his Facebook page and at the web site: www.oneweaponanytool.com

Don't Like Your Church? Then Start a Revolution!

Everybody has a different response and reason why our generation and those after us are leaving. They typically point to what’s wrong with the church. It’s not enough Jesus. It’s too much Jesus. It’s not enough holiness. It’s too much holiness. It’s not enough justice. It’s too much justice.

I get the concerns with church in general. But I’d like to offer the flip side of this coin: If the church isn’t what we want it to be, it’s not all the church’s fault. At least part of it is our fault. We can’t talk about the church as if it’s some abstract entity disconnected from us. We are the church.

And here's the truth: The church isn’t perfect. It’s never been perfect. It never will be perfect. So imperfections within the church simply aren’t a good excuse for anyone to leave. 

But we leave with our complaints as if we aren’t part of the problem. We’re just a tad bit spoiled. We tend to want everything handed to us. We want change, but it seems many of us don’t want the work that comes with implementing change. So we bounce around, hoping to eventually land in some magical realm where the Pew Fairy has already done all the work to make church exactly what we think it should be.

I hate to pop your balloon, but the Pew Fairy doesn’t exist.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If you want to bring about change in the church, you can’t do it from the outside looking in. Those who are walking away aren’t helping to fix anything. I’d like to see a few of us suck it up, stop whining about everything that’s wrong, and begin working to implement the change we’re calling for.

The linked article was written by a 35-year-old, but applies equally to those of any age. It's not the pastor's fault, nor any deacon, elder, or resident of the "amen corner."


The "church" isn't a building; it's the people ... and people are flawed. That's why we need God in the first place!
It's everyone's fault, and if your church is unresponsive to requests - or if you left church because it wasn't meeting your needs - then please read the article, and think about what the author says.

Only Churches in England can be that witty

I received these from my British friend, AJDShootist. Thanks, buddy!

--
Freedom isn't taking off !
It's knowing where to land

Church Service of The Future

PASTOR: "Praise the Lord!"

CONGREGATION: "Hallelujah!"

PASTOR: "Will everyone please turn on their tablet, PC, iPad, smart phone, and Kindle Bibles to 1 Corinthians 13:13. And please switch on your Bluetooth to download the sermon."

P-a-u-s-e ...

"Now, Let us pray committing this week into God's hands. Open your Apps, BBM, Twitter and Facebook, and chat with God."

S-i-l-e-n-c-e ...

"As we take our Sunday tithes and offerings, please have your credit and debit cards ready. You can log on to the church wi-fi using the password 'Lord909887'.

"The ushers will circulate mobile card swipe machines among the worshipers. Those who prefer to make electronic fund transfers are directed to computers and laptops at the rear of the church. Those who prefer to use iPads can open them. Those who prefer telephone banking, take out your cellphones to transfer your contributions to the church account."

The holy atmosphere of the Church becomes truly electrified as ALL the smart phones, iPads, PCs and laptops beep and flicker!

Final Blessing and Closing Announcements...

"This week's ministry cell meetings will be held on the various Facebook group pages where the usual group chatting takes place. Please log in and don't miss out.

"Thursday's Bible study will be held live on Skype at 1900hrs GMT. Please don't miss this, either. You can follow your Pastor on Twitter this weekend for counseling and prayers. God bless you and have nice day!"


h/t MO Bro